Okay firstly sorry for the delay on this. I know I promised I'd be better with scheduling and ended up screwing that up. Badly. If you're interested in why, here are the reasons. First I was finishing my Elsa painting. Then Watch_Dogs happened. Then The Witcher 2. Then Max Payne 3. Then Civ V. Then the floor of my bedroom turned into a marsh and someone had to go remove all the water (and damage said Elsa painting in the process). Then the Steam Summer Blowout happened and I got Skyrim. So that went on. And then my beta reader had some problems of her own and I had to go to look for another one. After I found another beta reader (btw please welcome seasidevoiceguitar), I got ditracted some more until first my Internet THEN my computer decided to be silly and not behave. Again sorry for the delay and I really really hope I can be better with this. And thanks a lot for your patience and keeping up with this fanfic. I promise I won't be abandoning this fanfic.
Thanks as always go to hybrid-rain as always for being an inspirational sounding board and helping me come up with ideas sporadic-tiger my first beta reader, seasidevoiceguitar, our newest addition to the team, and emirael for helping with the world building, and frickfractals, the-perfect-girl-is-gone, izzyvonheeringen, winterqueenelsaa, patronustrip, 50shadesofelsanna, and letusbuildasnowman for promoting and recommending my fanfics. One thing that is truly amazing is how quickly the aforementioned list is of course, readers for your follows, favourites, and reviews. You guys are seriously the absolute best. You guys are the absolute best! :))
Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen and its characters, plots, etc and I do not make or intend to make any profit from this.
Elsa felt like she'd just finally managed to fall asleep when she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder and gently shake it.
Assuming it was her sister in a fit of mischief, she mumbled drowsily, "Anna…go back to sleep."
"Begging your pardon, Your Majesty," a familiar but a male voice said softly. "But I'm not Her Highness."
That immediately shook her from her sleep.
"Then who…" she said, turning to face the voice. She finally opened her eyes to see Kai standing at arm's length from her, illuminated by the morning light filtered through the curtains. Beside her, Anna continued to snore peacefully.
"What is it?" whispered Elsa, collecting the covers around her, more out of instinct than modesty.
"The Lord Commander says that the invaders are preparing for an assault against the walls. He needs you. Now."
At that, Elsa shot up from her bed and rolled off her bed, disturbing the covers. Even then all Anna did was curl tighter in a ball. Elsa leaned over her sister, shook her shoulder, and said, "Anna, wake up. Wake up, snowbug."
Anna groaned and muttered, "Ughh…Elsa…what is it?"
"I need you to get up. We're going to be attacked soon."
That was enough to wake Anna up and the two quickly threw on dressing gowns before following Kai into the council room. A large map of the city was spread over the table and on top of that, handfuls of figures stood. Behind it, both the Lord Commander and the Home Secretary were present along with several other high-ranking officers. Ignoring the distinct lack of proper dress either sister had, they all simply bowed when they entered the room and greeted, "Your Majesty, Your Highness."
"Gentlemen," Elsa said as Anna finished strapping her sword on. "Report."
"Your Majesty," began the Lord Commander. "As stated in my last briefing, significant areas of the forest in the north have been cut down, we suspect, for constructing siege engines. This morning, scouts returned reporting unusually high activity in the mercenary camps in that region. To the west in the fjord, the galleasses are making their way through the paths carved by the icebreakers."
"I see, then. Nothing from the south?"
"No, Your Majesty. It appears the enemy has withdrawn the majority of their forces there, perhaps to move them elsewhere."
Elsa walked closer to the table to get a better look at the map. She saw how far the ice extended from her ice wall, the positions of the galleasses and icebreakers, the mercenary camps, her ice towers, and many other details.
"What will be their plan of attack, Lord Commander?" asked Elsa.
"Due to uneven terrain, we can expect sophisticated siege engines to not be used. They will attack with ladders and battering rams from the north side. At the west, the icebreakers will attempt to approach the ice wall closest to the castle with the galleasses providing cover. I should remind Your Majesty that these are only our best guesses."
"Of course," Elsa mused, still staring at the map. "It does make sense…" Her mind whirled with all the different ways she could counter Hans' plans but all she had to go on were best guesses and most probable causes and outcomes. She had some knowledge of strategy and tactics but certainly not enough to make a decision she trusted. "And what would you suggest to do?"
"Archers on the northern walls, pikemen and men-at-arms at the northern gates. Another company of archers posted along the northern harbour wall and the castle walls. We still maintain ballistae in the castle towers and they will be used for our defence. Your…creation would be best suited to defend the castle but I leave that decision to you. My worry is that we will be spread too thin. The walls may tilt the scales a bit but not enough for my comfort. Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but if I may ask…"
"You may ask later," Elsa interrupted, knowing exactly what he wanted to ask and not the least bit interested in having that conversation with her sister present. "For now, let's talk about how we're handling the civilians. Secretary Hovland?" She saw that Anna, even in her "too-early-for-this" daze, looked at her with confusion. Please, Anna, she thought. Not now.
As the Lord Commander bowed his head and took a step back, the Home Secretary stepped forward and said, "According to established protocol, we will begin relocating citizens living closest to the walls over to the castle. Given the current situation, we thought it prudent to concentrate our efforts in the north."
"Very good," Elsa said. "And the problematic members of our society. Bishop Mathesien, Lord Lindahl. What measures have we taken against them?"
"Bishop Mathesien continues to elude our efforts to find him since after the Royal Warehouse attack. We've tried to narrow down where he might possibly be but frankly we haven't much success there."
"But he's still got guys out preaching in the streets," Anna said, her first contribution to the meeting aside from muffled yawns. "Have you tried asking them where he is?"
"We have, Your Highness. We've detained any…disciples we've found but they seem resistant to our attempts to question them. Mistress Julia is having a similar issue."
"What about Bishop Serslitru's replacement?" asked Elsa. "Bishop Engen?"
"Bishop Engen has fallen ill or so I've been told, Your Majesty. Bishop Mathesien in hiding has assumed religious authority of Arendelle."
Both Elsa and Anna looked at each other with mirrored expressions of worry as Secretary Hovland continued, "As for Lord Lindahl and his associates, we have placed them under surveillance for now. We also have a detachment of City Watch officers nearby to intervene should they make any attempt against you, Your Majesty."
"Good," Elsa said. "When this meeting is adjourned, begin the evacuation. Lord Commander, you will assemble your men and women and send them to their posts." Then, addressing the rest of the room, she asked, "Is there anything else?"
They were silent.
"Very well. Gentlemen, this day will decide the fate of our kingdom and our future. We can either persevere as we have always done or lose the liberty and independence that our ancestors fought hard to give us."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Your Highness" they chanted in unison. After they had bowed, they filtered out of the room, leaving only the Lord Commander who remained where he was.
The Lord Commander was the first to speak. "Forgive me if I presume too much, but I was hoping Your Majesty would be able to contribute to our defences".
Elsa gave up trying to invent an excuse to get Anna to leave. She'd have to accept that Anna would hear the truth. The reason why she had difficulty sleeping last night.
"Of course," Elsa said distractedly as she braced herself. "I can set up a defence line in front of the north walls to slow their progress. Another one around the castle…"
"Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty, but I was hoping for sentient beings. To be used in combat. Like the golem or Her Highness's new bodyguards."
"Ah…" she simply said. Even knowing what she would be asked didn't make it easier to hear it nor did it help her prepare a better reply. "About that…"
She took a minute to clear her thoughts before she speaking again, "It seems that for me to make life require a constant supply of…something. Emotions or feelings, something like that. It's difficult for me to explain it exactly. As far as I'm aware, it seems that only the strongest emotions can create and sustain life. For example, love."
If the Lord Commander found any part of her explanation confusing, he made no sign of it. And now for the incredibly uncomfortable and horrible part…, she thought, wishing nothing more than to be disappear and hopefully never appear.
"Olaf the Snowman and…Marshmallow, they're both powered by my love for my sister," she said. "Same for her guardians. But it seems…I've used it up."
She glanced to her side at Anna and saw that she was about to say something. Snapping her gaze back at the Lord Commander, Elsa quickly said, "Of course, I've tried to use my love for my kingdom but those creations only had enough intelligence to sense and react. Nothing more."
In a distant part of her mind, Elsa knew that she had just confessed to not loving Arendelle nearly as much as she loved her sister, certainly not enough to be able to create forces to defend her kingdom. But it held the significance of a faint echo at the moment when compared to her sister's feelings and reactions to what she said. She continued, "I could try to use other emotions, sure. But I do not think I would be able to control them as well. That is to say if I could control them at all. And the last thing we need is an indestructible sentient snow creature loose inside the city in the heat of battle."
"I understand, Your Majesty," the Lord Commander simply said. "Then, with your leave, I must go and begin preparations."
"Of course, Lord Commander," Elsa said. "And thank you. For…not questioning my love for my kingdom."
He shook his head and said, "There was never any doubt in mind nor will there ever be. Arendelle will never see a finer queen and princess than the ones before me."
Elsa tried to pretend that the tears forming in her eyes were from lack of sleep and when she tried to speak, her mouth were too dry to speak. So instead she watched as he bowed deeply before them and walked off. Now alone, she then turned to look at Anna for the first time since she revealed the truth and for once she couldn't see anything. No sign of anger, frustration, hurt, indignation. Elsa was overcome with worry.
"Anna," she said. "Just so you know…my love for you is eternal. Just because my stupid magic doesn't see it that way, doesn't…"
"No, no," Anna said, crossing the distance between them with swift steps and taking her sister's hands. "It's okay, I know."
Her eyes widening, Elsa could only mutter, "What…?"
"You know," she said, with a faint chuckle. "For a bright brilliant woman, you can be a real nimrod sometimes."
"Anna, I don't think you…" Elsa began but Anna didn't let her finish.
"You keep putting more and more weight on your shoulders when you don't need to. We're about to fight for our kingdom and you're worried that I would get mad or something because I don't think you love me enough. It doesn't matter if the rules for your magic say your love for me can let you make only one ice soldier or a thousand. The fact that you, the most perfect and amazing queen in the whole wide world, love me is all that matters. It's all that matters to me at least."
And looking into her eyes, Elsa finally found something in Anna. Acceptance. And at that instance, the frustration as she conjured rows of lifeless ice soldiers staring back at her with empty eyes, the gnawing guilt that kept her up at night as she thought what it meant for her feelings towards Anna; they all disappeared.
Anna brought Elsa's hands up to her face and pressed them against her lips. "Okay?"
Elsa nodded, letting a few tears drop from her eyes. She withdrew one hand from Anna's clutches to cup her chin and gaze at her, taking in her sister's beautiful face.
"Okay," she said, feeling her lips curve into a small smile. But it quickly disappeared. "But today we need to fight. And we need to get Marshmallow."
Anna's expression became serious. "And Marshmallow's with…"
"Do you have to go?" Olaf asked sadly. To Elsa, it sounded like an echo from her memory.
"I'm afraid so," Elsa replied.
The golem was almost halfway out through the door but both sisters were still kneeling in front of Olaf.
"Both you and Anna?" he persisted, his voice breaking.
They nodded.
"Bad people are coming to our city," Anna explained. "Bad people who want to do bad things to me, to Elsa, to Kristoff. To all of us."
"And you have to stop them," Olaf said.
It wasn't a question but again both sisters nodded. Elsa tried her best to reassure the snowman. "We'll be okay," she said. "Marshmallow will be with me and Anna has her two knights and Kristoff."
"And you'll be safe here," Anna continued. "No one has been able to get inside this castle for hundreds of years."
Shaking his head, Olaf said, "But I want to stop the bad people, too."
"I know you do," Elsa said. "We both do. And you stopped the bad people once. You saved Anna's life, remember?"
"But this will be different," said Anna who knew that Olaf was going to continue protesting. "It'll be far too dangerous for you. And we don't want anything to happen to you."
"But I don't want anything to happen to you two," Olaf said, his eyes widening. "And Marshmallow. You're all that I have."
Swallowing the bubbling emotions in her mouth, Elsa said, "We'll be back. All of us. We'll all come back just for you."
Then she pressed her lips on Olaf's small forehead, right between his eyebrows. And when she looked up, she saw Olaf had managed to smile at her. A weak smile but a smile nevertheless and despite everything that has happened and that will happen soon, Elsa felt a warmth glow in her heart. Anna kissed him at the same spot and squeezed him tightly in a hug. Then the two sisters got up and walked towards the door.
"Bye, guys," he said hoarsely, waving his twig hand.
"Bye, tiny brother," Marshmallow grumbled, waving his hand back, before he left the room.
"We'll see you later, Olaf," Anna promised before following him out.
"You'll be fine," Elsa said, giving him the same reassurance her father gave her years ago. With that, she walked out of the room. But just before she sealed the door with ice, she heard soft cries behind it. It was a sound she never ever wanted to hear again.
Unlike Anna, Kristoff had very little difficulty waking up so when the bells and drums tore him from his sleep, he was among the first to slip out of his bed and towards the armoury. In the first chamber, he found his suit of armour, given by the royal sisters. Nothing fancy about it aside from the fact that it had matching armour for Sven and a reindeer's head was engraved on the chest piece. Today, however, he only had time to strap on the most important pieces before grabbing his helmet and shield as well as an axe he rather liked on his way out.
. Once assembled with the rest of his unit, their sergeant led them towards the northern walls. As he jogged with the others, Kristoff regretted not wishing a proper goodbye Sven the evening before. He wish he was with him in battle since they were always together (not in that way, obviously) but he was meant to be on top of the walls and there was no way he could ride Sven there. With longing, he imagined the reindeer braying sadly in the stables for him.
He shook his head to clear the thoughts. He needed to focus. Otherwise chances are he wouldn't make it to see Sven. Or Anna. Or his family. But thinking of his family made it more difficult to focus. He hadn't…exactly told them about his new career. He could have easily gotten a messenger bird from Elsa and Anna but he didn't. Partly because he still had trouble with the letters and he wasn't exactly sure if most of his family could read human languages. But mostly because he knew how they'd react if they found out he was in a war. The trolls refused to take part in anything not supernatural, such as this siege, but they would make an exception for Kristoff. "Company, halt!" yelled his sergeant.
The soldiers stopped at the wall and awaited for further instructions. But before the sergeant could give them, another voice in front of Kristoff cried, "All hail Her Highness!"
"Anna?" he asked in surprise as he saw Anna climbing up the stairs to the top of the walls, accompanied by her bodyguards, both human and otherwise. She looked unusually rigid with her clenched mouth and stiff movements, reminding him of when she barged into the barn on their second meeting. She was also armoured. Not by much but enough to keep her safe. Following the others around him, he knelt down on the stone road, bowed his head, and joined the chant of "Long live the queen! Long live Her Highness!" He wondered if Anna was going to give a speech.
But what started as a passing joke turned into a very real possibility as he watched her turn to face the soldiers gathered below her. Oh, Akka, she's actually going to give a speech, he thought to himself. Even from the bottom, he saw that she looked like she might puke any minute. For a few tense minutes, they all waitedfor her words.
"I…I'm not very good at this," Anna began and Kristoff felt his stomach drop. He looked around the crowd and although no one was actually chuckling or anything like that, it wasn't difficult to think some were amused with her start. And not in a good way. "I know my sister is much better at giving speeches than I'll ever be. …In fact she's much better than me in almost everything."
Typical Anna. Can't even give a speech without saying how awesome her sister is.
"But even though she's just…incredibly powerful and talented, she can't do everything…by herself. She still needs people to help her take care of Arendelle. People like you.
"Behind me, there are people coming to hurt us. Hurt my sister, your queen. Hurt your parents, your children, your loved ones. All of us. But my sister is going to do everything she can to stop them. And so am I. But we can't do it by ourselves. We need you to help us. So what I'm asking is… are you going to help us?"
"Yes!" shouted Kristoff and to his surprise and joy, he wasn't the only one. His answer was joined by everyone around him as they cheered for their princess and their queen. He saw as Anna smiled at the excited response and felt his heart lift with pride.
When the cheers started to die down, officers began shouting orders and Kristoff and his company was sent up the wall to help the archers. It was clear that Arendelle had been expecting an attack for some time. Piles of rocks and quivers of arrows were placed along the length of the wall in a way too organised to be done at the last minute. There was also a thin layer of ice covering the higher part of the wall. Kristoff squeezed his way through groups of archers stringing their bows or testing their aim and found a spot some distance from the gates.
"Anyone using this place?" he asked the nearest archer who was busy inspecting his bow.
He looked up, shook his head a couple times, and then went back to his bow.
Shrugging, Kristoff set his helmet and his shield down and sighed, staring at the slopes in front of him. It seemed he was stuck between two archers who were about as interested in conversation as Sven was in meat. This was going to be a long wait until the attack began
"Mind if I join you?" he a voice that sounded a lot like Anna's.
Nearly knocking his helmet off the wall, he whipped around to see Anna and her guards approach him. The two archers on either side of him, bowed their heads and muttered "Your Highness", before wandering off.
"Yeah, sure," he said, trying his best to look calm. "Take a…something." He gestured uselessly at the space where an archer once stood. Kristoff guessed the guy didn't want to be too close to the princess. Maybe because he thought it'd be too awkward to fight so close to her.
As Anna settled next to him, Kristoff noticed that besides her bodyguardsthere were two other men with her,both of them seemed rather old. At first he thought they would be too old to fight but he knew better than to judge people by how they looked. He was about to ask Anna who they were when she said, "Kristoff, meet my fencing instructor, Lord Halvert."
A lean man in black leather with a very trimmed beard, bowed his head, extended his hand, and said, "A pleasure. I've heard a lot about you."
Recognising the name from Anna's stories ], Kristoff shook his hand and said, "The same to you."
Anna continued the introductions. "And this is his partner, Lord Trym."
The other man, a broader man with greyer hair than Lord Halvert's and sideburns to match but in the same clothes, leaned forward and held his hand out. "Nice to meet you," he said.
"And you, too," Kristoff responded, shaking his head while privately noting that this moment was one of the few moments when he was treated like…well, like an equal. When he let go of Lord Trym's hand, he asked, "Did you come to the walls with Her Highness?"
"You don't need to call me that," Anna grumbled, hitting him softly in the ribs with her elbow. Kristoff winced even thought it didn't hurt.
"Yes, we did," Lord Halvert answered. "Or to be more precise, we arrived shortly after the Royal Party did."
"So Elsa was here?" Kristoff asked.
"Only for a few minutes or so," Anna replied. "She looked at the walls, talked with the officers a little bit. Oh and she put some really nasty surprises for the guys out there. She's back at the palace now to defend it."
Kristoff tilted his head up as he thought about the mercenaries' plan of attack. He then opened his mouth to ask what sort of surprises Elsa had and to tell her what a great speech she delivered when a cry came from one of the towers.
"Enemy approaching! Sixty yards away!"
As the low tolling of bells followed, archers around him rushed to line up against the wall.
"Well, thank God for that," muttered Lord Tyrm as he put his helmet on. "Hate to be all dressed up for nothing."
His partner did the same, but before Kristoff grabbed could put his on, Anna rushed towards him and hugged him tightly.
"Good luck," she said.
"You, too," he said.
She took a step back and said, "By the way, I'm glad the armour fits."
He cracked a small smile and said, "Thanks. And thanks again."
"No problem. Also, next time don't leave your helmet on the parapet. Someone could knock it off."
"The what?" he asked, feeling a bit confused before realising what she meant. "Oh, so that's what they're called."
Anna nodded before she took her shield and slipped her arm through it. Kristoff placed the helmet on and lowered the visor over his face. He was surprised just how well he could see out of the slit. Finally, he grabbed both his shield and his axe. As the bells continued to ring and echoes of horns being blown passed through his helmet and into his ears, he tightened his hold on his shield. He felt his nerves burning themselves raw. Every instinct he had screamed at him to run, throw his axe and his armour down, go to Sven, and find a way to get the hell out the city. But he promised to fight for Anna and he was going to keep his promise so he told the instincts to just shut up.
And then he saw them.
"Archers, nock!" an officer shouted.
The morning mist parted to reveal a massive crowd marching towards the gate. Kristoff's mouth opened in shock for a second before he forced it closed Where did they get so many men? he asked himself as his instincts began to cry again.
"Archers, draw!"
The soldiers hastened their pace, screaming taunts and battle cries as they ran on the snowy slope. It wouldn't be long before they reached the walls. Suddenly icy spikes grew out from the ground like daisies, not ten yards from the wall. Their cheers quickly turned into painful yells as those in the front line were impaled by Elsa's barrier.
"Loose!" went the shout, swiftly followed by the sharp whistles of arrows and bolts flying through the air. The mercenaries' cries grew louder and more agonised as the front line was further disrupted and reduced. While he didn't think they would give up easily, Kristoff had to hand it to them. This level of determination was something he never expected. Even as the archers continued to shoot at them, the mercenaries quickly regrouped and attempted to protect themselves as they hacked at the spikes. . Certainly gold couldn't do that much, he thought.
Even as the few mercenaries who managed to break through were swiftly shot down, more and more poured in. A harsh whistle travelling an inch from his ear tore him from his thoughts and acting upon instinct, Kristoff ducked. He then peered over the ice that covered the top of the wall and saw that they were firing back with their own archers. Seconds later, there was the wham of something hitting someone to his left followed by the rattling gurgling of a man's last breaths. The unpleasant and sickening sound made Kristoff's stomach turn.
His officer shouted, "Archers, return fire at will! Everyone else, take cover!" A bit late on that call, Kristoff thought.
As both sides exchanged bolts and arrows, Kristoff stayed tucked behind the parapet, wincing whenever he thought an arrow flew too close for comfort. He took a glance to his right and saw that Anna kneeled behind her ice knights. She glanced back at him and tried to smile at him but it looked rather tight to him. He smiled back before he remembered his helmet covered almost all of his face.
. "Ladders! Prepare to repel!" came another cry.
"Great," Kristoff muttered as he pulled himself up. "Here we go."
He heard a clank in front of him and suddenly the top part of a ladder appeared before him. Sliding his axe down his belt, he picked up a rock that weighed a little more than a troll child. But before he could drop it on the soldier climbing up,, he saw someone aiming his crossbow at him. He let the rock go and quickly ducked again. The bolt flew harmlessly over his head. Standing up, Kristoff saw the soldier still climbing up. Deciding that pushing the ladder off was the best option, he grabbed both sides and pushed with all of his might. But the mercenaries below must have secured it really well because it didn't budge at all. Giving it as a lost cause, he stepped back, took out his axe, and prepared for the upcoming attack.
The soldier stepped down with his sword already drawn and swung down on Kristoff who blocked it easily enough with his shield. He attacked back with a swing of his own and the two began an exchange of attacks that were either dodged or blocked. Finally, Kristoff landed a blow, knocking him back a few feet was far enough where Kristoff could swing and maybe even end this fight. Yet even as he pulled his arm back, he wondered if he was ready to take a life.
But Kristoff didn't have time to think about it anymore; another soldier had managed to climb up the ladder. Kristoff turned to face him, wondering how he was going to fight two guys at once, when the soldier stepped on the icy parapet and fell with a scream, most likely to his death..
Meanwhile his first foe recovered and lunged forward with his sword. Kristoff again side-stepped the attack but this time he stepped to the left and swung his axe at his head. The blow knocked the man from the walls, joining his comrade below. Underneath the noises of the battle, Kristoff thought he could hear a sharp crack. I… did it, he thought, too shaken to feel pride or guilt.
"You all right, Kristoff?" he heard Anna call out.
He turned to face her and saw that her sword had blood on it. He didn't know what happened to the other guy but if Anna was still alive, she must have defeated him. Behind the princess, her guards and her fencing instructor were busy with their own opponents.
"I'm fine," he said. He peered over the wall and saw the invaders still approaching. "Just trying to hold them off."
Anna nodded and said, "Try pulling the ladders to the side."
"What?" he shouted.
"Don't push them off. Pull them to the side…likethis!" But before she could show him just what she meant, a mercenary slipped past her her ice knight and raised his mace up to strike. Kristoff opened his mouth to warn her but she didn't need him to. She whirled around to block the attack with her shield and fought back. Kristoff looked at the ladders and did what Anna suggested. Putting his axe in his belt again, he stood so that his right side was facing out and took hold of the same ladder he tried pushing earlier but this time he pulled it towards him. The ladder slid across the ice easier than he thought, and when Kristoff let go of it, he was "rewarded" with the sight of the ladder crashing into another one, before tumbling from the walls and down to the invaders below.
He took his axe out and found Anna still fighting her opponent. with another one dropping down and preparing to attack. Kristoff immediately rushed towards him…and so did one of her ice guardians, who reached him first. And Kristoff thought going against Marshmallow was scary. The man was first disarmed. Literally. And then the ice knight drove his sword through his chest and pulled it out. Even before the body fell, he turned away to seek for further threats against his mistress. All of it done within seconds. Kristoff nearly dropped his axe in shock but instead he gripped it tighter in his hand and, began looking for places where he could help. This was going to be a long day indeed.
"FIRE!" the officer cried.
One after the other, the ballistae on the Tilbel fired. Even as the burning ceramic pots soared through the air, engineers were already busy reloading the weapons., Hans watched the pots smash themselves against the ice wall, splashing it with an alchemical solution similar to kerosene only stickier before igniting. The resulting flames flashed purple for a brief second before shifting to orange and yellow.
The Tilbel, along with the other two galleasses, had started their barrage early this morning and while the wall still stood defiantly before him, he could see water running down the sides of the wall and thin sheets of ice falling. Finally, he thought. Progress. The forces attacking the northern wall had been augmented with another company of mercenaries bought with Lord Gyldenløve's funds, giving him an additional four hundred men. He didn't expect many of them to last the day nor did he particularly want them to. Lord Gyldenløve would undoubtedly give him an earful if they did.
"Do you think they're weak enough?" he asked the specialist by his side who was peering at the wall through a spyglass.
The old man, eyes still focused on their target, shook his head and replied, "I'll give it another hour or so."
"By then, we will have lost the element of surprise," Hans protested.
Although he wished he could see her face as he and his small fleet sailed right past the wall defending their palace and for the harbour walls..
"I've prepared for that possibility and many others, my lord," the specialist insisted. "I can read them all to you if you like." His hand drifted towards his coat pocket.
"That will not be necessary," Hans said. "But I thank you for your assistance in this matter."
"Well, thank you for the money. I suspect should we both succeed here, I'll gain more than just gold."
Indeed… Hans thought. Gold was nice and all for men like the self-taught physicist and mathematician, Mr Gotteman, but a recommendation from a prince of the Southern Isles was priceless, especially in the eyes of the academic clubs in Europe. If they won here today, Hans would not be the only person to be elevated into existence. But they had to win the battle first.
"My lord," Mr Gotteman said. "There appears to be a new development…"
Hans took the spyglass and pointed it in the indicated direction. A small group of men gathering on the harbour walls, likely just arriving from the castle walls. There were no more than ten, all on the northern side, which meant the majority of the Arendellian forces was either on the northern city walls or behind the harbour walls. He particularly noticed two braziers, each carried between a pair of men and another man holding a furled red flag in his hands.
"Can we reach them from here?" Hans asked.
"You're welcome to try," Mr Gotteman replied passively. "But I doubt you'll hit them."
Ignoring his advice, Hans went ahead with it. "Archers!" he called. A row of archers stepped forward towards the railing. "Nock, draw, loose!"
The arrows soared through the air, reached their pinnacle, and descended into somewhere behind the first wall. They probably didn't even hit the inner wall. Mr Gotteman turned his head towards Hans with a gloating smile just barely visible on his face. With nothing more than a scowl, he waved his hand dismissively at the archers.
An hour or so passed with little trouble. The only break Hans received from watching the constant bombardment of the walls was a message from his forces on the northern wall. Apparently the Arendellian defenders were putting up a valiant effort to repel them, aided by strange ice creatures. The message was still lacking in details about those "strange ice creatures" such as just how many of them there were or what exactly they were and could do. He made a mental note to instil observational skills into future appointed officers as he crumpled the message and tossed it over the railing.
"My lord," called Mr Gotteman. "It's time."
Hans nodded and then turned to the signals officer and nodded at him. The officer bowed his head in reply before lifting a whistle to his lips and blowing through it twice. The shrill noises were carried to the other two galleasses and all firing ceased. Hans looked up and saw the man standing on the crow's nest unfurl a makeshift blue flag and wave it in long slow motions. Satisfied with that, he looked back down to see that the two ballistae, both some distance away from the amidships, were being nocked and drawn but not to be loaded with more burning pots.
Meanwhile the two galleasses cleared out and one of the icebreakers, Yvsenia, was being rowed in front of Tilbel. With some manoeuvring expertise, the icebreaker was positioned perpendicular to the galleass. The ballistae were loaded with a large harpoon and aimed carefully at the weakened wall under the supervision of Mr Gotteman and the firing officer. When everything was to their satisfaction, the command was given and two whipping sounds combining into one noise later, the harpoons were launched and dug themselves into the ice. The engineers tugged on the ropes and for a frightening moment, Hans pictured the harpoons falling from the wall. But evidently despite the damage his small navy wrecked, the ice was still thick enough to hold the harpoons.
Anchors were casted off from the Tilbel as the men on board the Yvsenia stretched out wooden hooks on either side of the ship towards the suspended ropes. Once secured, they were attached to the railings and the majority of the crew vacated the icebreaker, leaving only a skeleton crew to man the oars. With the wind blowing eastward, Yvsenia should gather enough speed to impact against the wall with considerable force. And the strengthened bow and the addition of a primitive crude ram, perhaps even with enough force to breach through the outer wall. But only the outer wall.
Which was why the lower decks of Yvsenia, from bow to stern, were filled with barrels of the same alchemical solution that were in the ceramic pots hurled against the ice wall for the last two hours with. The ram itself was coated with the stuff as well.
Hans looked around to see that everything had been prepared. Without a helmsman, Yvsenia would be kept on course with the parallel ropes. Minutes before impact, the oar crew would start a delayed ignition of the solution at both ends before evacuating the boat, allowing the icebreaker to glide the remaining of its short journey. At least that was the plan, a plan plan that the futures of Mr Gotteman, the Duke of Weselton, Hans himself, and many others rested on.
With all eyes on him, he took a deep breath and yelled, "Launch!"
Elsa saw the lookout waving the red flag, her eyes closely following the direction he was pointing at. Then concentrating on it for only a brief second, she pointed her hand towards the spot. Her magic shot forward from her fingers and spikes of ice emerged from the frozen harbour, all sharp and thick enough to pierce through a ship's hull and all pointing outwards. Hans had pulled a nasty trick by choosing the harbour over the castle, causing that portion of the army there to dash after him and his fleet. She could have easily created an ice bridge from the castle but the pace her soldiers would have to take to avoid slipping would completely negate the difference in distance travelled. And her Lord Commander refused to allow her to arrive before her guards. He also didn't allow her to go up to the harbour wall to see what the enemies were doing, despite the fact that she would be perfectly poised to counter any moves to her greatest abilities. After all, what was the point of her powers if she couldn't defend her kingdom with them?
The sentry continued to wave his flag, his motions increasingly more frantic. Elsa took it as a sign that he wanted to come down. Whatever it was, she and the Lord Commander had to know now. So with her right hand, she conjured a staircase from the wall, taking care to make the incline gradual to ease his walk. Meanwhile her left was busy erecting more barricades and defences. True, she was rather doubtful anything Hans had could go through two walls of ice but earlier she didn't think Hans would try to take the harbour. She wasn't taking any more chances with the man.
By the time the sentry had reached the bottom, she had created a semi-circular wall of icy thorns from either harbour lighthouse behind the spikes. At various points behind that, she made small towers with a spear on two sides, all of them facing the point where the lookout indicated. Each one was imbibed with enough intelligence to launch the spears upon seeing the invaders. Although to support all of those defences Elsa was forced to thicken the ice they were resting on significantly, the area between her army and her defences was rather thin. And should she need to, she could dissipate the ice, allowing them to plunge into the cold depths below. All of these promised nothing less than a painful demise for the mercenaries, a fact that remained rooted in her mind.
"Your Majesty!" called the Lord Commander. "You might want to hear this."
She whirled to see that he was with the lookout who was apparently in the middle of his briefing. After giving her defences a last glance, she made her way towards them as fast as courtesy would allow her. When she arrived, the Lord Commander said, "Now, soldier. Tell the Queen what you just told me."
"Your Majesty," the man said hastily. "The icebreaker, they're sending it towards the wall. They mean to ram it."
"Ram it?" Elsa repeated, her eyebrows narrowing in confusion. "But how? The outer wall is at least a foot thick."
She turned her focus back at the wall and strengthened it so that now the inner wall grew yet a few more inches in thickness. Her mind swirled as she tried to predict Hans' next move.
A sudden ominous crash was all the warning Elsa or anyone else got before the small parts of the ice wall tumbled down the wall. At first she was utterly confused as to how this was happening, but as the wall grew more transparent, Elsa could see the bow of Hans' icebreaker draw closer to them, flames shining through the ice and leaping from the boat. Not only did the flames melt the ice wall directly but also the ice below it, causing the wall to break apart and drift away. There was another sharp crack as a large portion of the wall slid down to the bottom with a cloud of snow and a storm of shards.
"Fall back!" shouted the Lord Commander. "Fall back now!"
Ignoring his commands, Elsa ground her teeth as she concentrated her magic into repairing the damage, trying to fight against the heat from the burning icebreaker. She did have the power to freeze it completely but without the focus to control her powers, she would freeze everything and everyone around her. Her soldiers retreated to safer ground and her carefully crafted defences melted into puddles of water. Her ice wall had been reduced so drastically that little more than an inch of ice was left when the charred ram crashed against it.
"Your Majesty, it's too late," the Lord Commander said as the icebreaker veered sharply to the right.
"No, I can still…" she snapped, still trying to rebuild her creations from their ruins. "I can still do this."
"Your Majesty, you must leave," he continued. "Now."
He placed his left hand on her shoulder and with a cry of shock, jerked it away. Distracted, Elsa whirled to see his glove covered in ice. He quickly tore it from his hand.
She gasped and stammered, "I'm sorry, I'm so…"
"It's fine, just get out!" he said.
She joined him as they retreated from the harbour wall. Elsa looked over her shoulder just in time to see the ship finally capsize, spilling gallons of the flammable solution into her harbour.
Through the spyglass, Hans carefully watched the progress of his icebreaker with bated breath. He felt the briefest relief when the ship rammed against the outer wall but he dared not to exhale in case all of his hopes were misplaced. His fears proved to be unwarranted, though, when he the ship lit up in flames and continue through the inner wall. And for the first time since this damn campaign began, he smiled.
So one of the greatest challenges writing this chapter was how to limit Elsa's powers. After much thinking, I came to the conclusion that while Elsa has plenty of raw power, she has more difficulty controlling it. And I reasoned based on her ice castle and the Great Thaw, that she needed love (either for herself or Anna) to have any degree of control. The current situation hasn't exactly contributed to any sense of love so she can't just unleash a blizzard or freeze everything around her unless she also wants to freeze Arendelle again. Yet. As for her creating living creatures, I decided to put a limit on that as well using the logic that only her love for Anna can make sentient beings. The fact that she "ran out" of love for her seems a bit of a cop-out but my argument is that Elsa's magic requires an unspecified toll to be used and she hasn't discovered that yet. I just hope that these handwaves are enough for you.
I would say I can only hope that the next chapter will come sooner. But...school is starting in like a week and I'm kinda behind in some shit. So until then, I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.